


I Choose You

by Rueitae



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Pokemon AU, Pokemon Battle, Pokemon Gym Leader(s), Pre-Relationship, Secret Crush, Swimmer Lance (Voltron), Thirsty Pidge, gym leader lance, gym leader veronica, i'm CACKLING, its super mild, omg that's actually a tag, pidges thirst made me rate this as teen, researcher pidge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-03-20 01:11:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18982135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rueitae/pseuds/Rueitae
Summary: Pidge is a confident person by default. That doesn't mean she doesn't like affirmations, though - particularly from her former traveling companion. So when she finds herself in need of some, she chooses him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's about time I made a pokemon au. It's what we deserve. Follows anime logic/timeline best I understand it, though I did add some lore flavoring (though you only have to have a basic understanding of pokemon to follow the fic).

Pidge’s heart raced, rare unless she was in the heat of an intense pokemon battle. The last time she’d been this nervous before the doors of the Varadero City Gym, she’d been a bright-eyed ten-year-old challenging for her first badge.

A lot had changed in ten years.

She reached into the inner pocket of her coat and pulled out the letter of invitation, the reason behind this visit. Unfolding the piece of paper with great care, Pidge read over the key line for what seemed like the hundredth time:

_Your thesis has been selected for review._

Pidge took a deep breath, folding the paper once more and fiddling with it in her hands. This would be the most important day of her life, her first shot at becoming a fully fledged pokemon professor, just like her parents and brother before her. She wanted to be prepared.

Which was what brought her here.

And this was just Lance, her good friend, former traveling companion, _and crush._

“This is a bad idea,” she told herself as she stalked back and forth in front of the double doors. Her family would be enough to have by her side and cheering for her. Lance was just a walking bag of warm happiness and enthusiasm, sending her easy smiles, filled with an untamed affection and pride just for her.

… Matt could absolutely provide that when he wasn’t socializing with the other professors. Sure he could, then she wouldn’t have to ask Lance to leave his training to go to a conference with her where he’d be a magikarp out of water. She’d just be inconveniencing him. She should just go home and practice her defense and -

A blue light flashed in her periphery and Pidge smiled despite herself. Her rotom unsurprisingly escaped its pokeball and hovered before her. Its cheerful smile of encouragement was just what she needed.

“Thanks, Rover, you’re a sweetheart,” she said, lifting a hand for her companion to land on. “I don’t care what Lance says about you.”

Rover buzzed with joy, and zipped out of her hand and into her hair. Pidge inhaled sharply in realization a heartbeat before Rover discharged.

The electric shock never hurt - Pidge was so used to it by now - but it was disorientating. The next thing Pidge knew she lay sprawled out on the sidewalk, the blue sky above her blending in with the lush Alolan trees that lined the pathway to the Gym. She coughed, her breath blackened by the shock she’d just recieved.

“Yeah, I’m excited too,” she wheezed. Rover only buzzed happily above her.

“Oh my! _Pidge_?”

Pidge jumped up at the knowledge that someone had seen her and _recognized_ her. She hastily stood and straightened her now frizzy and staticy hair and _oh Arceus_ this was not the impression she wanted to give after not seeing Lance in over a year.

It wasn’t Lance though, Pidge sighed in relief, just his sister.

“Hi, Veronica,” she said with a wave. Heat rushed to her cheeks in embarrassment all the same. Lance or no, she was a mess.

The older woman crossed her arms, a bemused smile upon her face. “Here I thought we had another challenger. A good thing you already have the badge, a zap happy rotom would have caused havoc to the Gym.”

“You have a challenger right now?” Pidge asked, eyebrow raised in surprise. “But how come you’re out here then? Shouldn’t you be battling?”

“Lance is handling it,” Veronica said, leaning in with a wink and a broad smile. “Did you want to watch?”

In her mind, Pidge told Veronica that she would be glad to observe Lance so that she can look for any weaknesses to exploit in his battle strategy. What she said aloud was, “Ye-up Sure. Cool,” as the lump in her throat dropped into her stomach.

Veronica's eyes laughed at her, Pidge noted with clenched teeth. Lance's sister was far too much like him. They’d make a great team running the Gym together.

"Well, come on then. You're in for a treat, the challenger is a kid from Alola," Veronica said, beckoning her to follow.

That perked Pidge's interest. Despite being just a flight away - and there were many flights from Plaht City to Melemele Island - she'd never been there, even for vacation. Rumors of beasts from another dimension intrigued her though, and Professor Kukui was spearheading the research.

Even in her own travels, Alolan trainers were a rarity. It was a pity Z-moves weren't capable of being used outside of the Islands, it would help her further study the physical manifestation of the bonds between human and pokemon. She'd only been able to study mega stones for her paper. Perhaps once she had her professorship, she'd petition to become one of Kukui's assistants.

Sliding glass doors opened automatically for the both of them into the lobby. Water based attacks pounded against the wall, the tell tale sign of an ongoing battle.

"I won't be able to see a Z-move, but maybe I can get something out of the battle style," Pidge said hopefully.

"That and more, I'm sure," Veronica hummed, opening the double doors for Pidge to enter first.

The smell of chlorine hit Pidge hard as they walked from the lobby into the battle area. The swimming pool stretched the length of the room, the size of a standard battlefield. A very troubled looking pichu stood on all fours, trapped on a floating platform, while a navy fin swam circles around it, picking up speed by the second.

"Pichu, look out!" The young Alolan boy was definitely a fresh trainer by the looks of him - this was probably his first Gym battle. "Thunder Shock the water!"

"Now you're thinking, kid!" Lance yelled from the far end. "But that won't be enough to save you.”

It had only been a year since he’d settled down to focus on learning the nuances of running a Gym, but it showed. It wasn’t unusual for Gym leaders to dress the part, but this was the first time Pidge really understood that it meant Lance would be battling in his swim trunks.

And that was it.

She’d always known, logically, that Lance had a swimmer’s body. He boasted about his lap times and family history with the Gym more times than she could count. Pidge could only find herself gaping, face - and brain - burning, because she _likes_ what she sees.

He extended an arm and pointed a finger dramatically - typical Lance. “Sharpedo! Use Whirpool!"

A vortex of water increased in volume, and swallowed up both platform and pokemon, tearing Pidge’s view away from her friend. Water spilled over the sides of the battlefield, lapping at Pidge’s feet.

Rover zoomed behind her head and she felt a pang of sympathy for her partner. It was always fearful of its own power around water - after a very frightening incident years ago in a thunderstorm that had sent Pidge to the hospital. Lance had been there thankfully, but Rover still carried the guilt of harming her - no matter how many times she tried to soothe its worry.

Pichu washed up on it’s trainer’s platform, eyes dark - a knockout.

Across the way, Lance’s older brother Marco waved a red flag and pointed it towards his brother. “Pichu is no longer able to battle! The winner of the match is Gym Leader Lance!”

The boy from Alola immediately attended to his partner, falling to his knees and cradling the small electric mouse in his arms. “You did amazing, Pichu, thank you. Take a long rest.” He gently tapped a pokeball on Pichu’s forehead and the pokemon dematerialized into it.

“The scene looks pretty familiar, doesn’t it?” Veronica said, nudging her in the arm.

Pidge huffed, but a smile crept onto her face regardless. Her first loss had been a sore spot for a while, but it created her rivalry and friendship with Lance that day long ago, so now it was nothing but a fond memory.

Pichu’s trainer sighed. A warmth welled in Pidge’s chest when Lance finished rounding the pool and offered the boy a hand to stand up. The boy, surprise on his features, took it almost numbly.

“You had the right idea,” Lance said with a disarming smile. “You and Pichu have a strong bond, I could tell with how quickly Pichu reacted. It’s too bad Whirlpool is bit hard to dodge,” he finished with a wink.

The boy frowned. “You think so? It didn’t feel like I got anywhere. You and Sharpedo were totally in control of the match.”

Lance hummed thoughtfully. “Not totally. If Pichu hadn’t been damaged over time by Sharpedo’s Rough Skin, you might have been able to pull off that Thunder Shock in time.” Lance gave him a friendly bump on the arm. “Get Pichu healed up and do some thinking. I’ll gladly accept a rematch when you’re ready.”

The challenger smiled brightly, lips curling into a smirk. “You can bet I’ll be back, and next time, I’ll earn my badge!”

He jogged out the doors, presumably to the Pokemon Center just down the street. Lance stood silently in place, waiting and watching respectfully until the kid left. Arms crossed, his muscles bulging on his arms...

Pidge clapped. “Not a bad pep talk - it’s a way better look for you than gloating in victory,” she snarked, the only thing she could think to do to take her mind off his lack of shirt.

She couldn’t help but laugh at his bugged out eyes and gaping jaws, finally it was his turn to be surprised.

“Pidge?” he squeaked. “What - why - how long have you been there?”

“Just enough to see the end of the battle. Nice job, Gym Leader,” she teased.

His cheeks brighten and he glared pointedly to his sister. “Why’d you let Pidge watch me battle? She’s going to learn all my secrets.”

Veronica adjusted her glasses, a smug smile in place to rival her brother’s usual one. “We can’t be terrible hosts. I’ll let you handle this one little brother.” With a pat on the back, she strode over to where Marco was already cleaning up the pool. The door to the far side of the pool opened and Lance’s young niece and nephew bound in, eager to help their father.

“Sylvio’s almost ten now isn’t he?” Pidge observed. “Is he going to get his starter from the Gym or from Dad?”

Lance nodded, his face much more relaxed. “He wants to travel to Hoenn to visit their space program,” he said. “So Marco and Lisa have been gearing him up to pick one of your dad’s. It’ll be easier to register in a new region that way.”

“It’ll be good for Dad to have a new trainer,” Pidge agreed. Professors sending trainers registered under them to other regions and other professors was a less effective method of sharing discoveries and conducting experiments than video conference, but in a world where so much of the research centered around the bond between human and pokemon, it was necessary.

“We’re supposed to get a veteran from Kanto in any day now and set him up for the Altean League,” Pidge continued. “One of Professor _Oak’s_ trainers.”

Lance whistled. “Holy crow, we hardly ever see folks from that side of the world.” He grins. “I can’t wait to face him.”

Pidge frowned, reminded of why she was here in the first place. Guilt pooled in her stomach. If he goes with her, Lance probably wouldn’t get the battle he wanted. Maybe she could get out of here still just saying this was a social call and --

A buzz near her ear told her that Rover wasn’t going to let her.

Lance froze and smiled nervously. “Hi, Rover, you’re looking pretty good today.”

Rover buzzed in his ashen face. Pidge and Lance were both experienced enough to know there were ways for water pokemon to beat electric types, but childhood memories of Rover zapping what was once his team of Seel, Finneon, and Vaporeon _all at once_ was enough to keep Lance on edge whenever they met.

Pidge took mercy on him, retrieving and enlarging Rover’s pokeball. She needed Lance’s good graces after all. “Okay Rover, I think you’ve had your fill terrorizing both of us today,” she said as the pokemon returned.

“So what brings you out of hiding?” Lance asked. “I thought you were busy researching.”

“I was. I finished, for now,” Pidge told him brightly. She took the invitation out of her pocket and handed it to him. “And they liked it enough to invite me to the conference.”

Lance doesn’t read fast, taking his time to read every word, eyes widening towards the end, a smile as wide as her’s on his face by the time he’s done. “Pidge, this is amazing! I knew you could do it!”

“I’m not done yet,” she cautioned. “I have to present my defense and face questions from a review board of the most prominent professors in the _world_.” A knot twisted in her stomach. Saying it out loud made it so real and utterly terrifying. She busied her hands, massaging her fingers in nervousness. “Professor Oak himself could be on it.”

She’s met with a raised eyebrow and a wry grin. “It doesn't matter who’s on that board. You’re the smartest person I know, Pidge. You’ve been working on this stuff since we were kids, you _know_ it more than they do. You’ll own that room.”

The thumping of her heart increased in volume with every word he spoke. The way he could simply praise her and send her heart fluttering wasn’t fair.

She missed this.

“I want you to come with me,” she blurted. When he doesn’t respond right away, his mouth open in surprise, she continued in earnest. “My family will be there too, but…” Her cheeks burned, but she smiled, relieved to finally ask. “I’d really love it if you were there. In person. Cheering for me... just like old times. It would mean _everything_ to me.”

The way he smiled back made her heart glow before he even started to speak. “I’d do anything for you, Pidge. Consider me part of your entourage.”

“It won’t be too weird being the only non-professor there?” she joked, though relief washed over her like a flood.

Lance shrugged, but then his face twisted in disgust. “All the professors? Does that mean Gary’s going to be there? Urgh,” Lance slumped, arms hanging limply in front of him and eyes narrowed in annoyance. “He’s almost as bad as Keith.”

Pidge snorted. “He is _not_ ,” she insisted.“And I thought you worked things out with Keith?”

“He’s my rival,” Lance huffed, chest puffed out. “But,” he admitted as he deflated, “we have this… understanding now.” He searched the room almost comically with his eyes before leaning in and whispering, “we’re partnering for the Tag Team Battlepalooza next month - but don’t tell anybody!”

“My lips are sealed,” Pidge promised, both proud and amused. “Besides, I thought I was your rival?”

“I can have more than one rival,” Lance insisted, crossing his arms and turning up his nose. “It keeps me on my toes!”

Pidge hummed, looking over the nearly cleaned up battlefield. “Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s have a battle. Loser pays for dinner?”

Lance blinked blankly before smirking. “You’re on.”

Pidge was glad she came.

(Rover would get some extra poffins tonight.)


	2. In Our Hearts, to Understand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Lance battle for the right to be treated to lunch! But that's not the only question that gets answered
> 
> Features the gorgeous art of suemaryrocky, which you can find on [Tumblr](https://rueitae.tumblr.com/post/186342444240/this-amazing-utterly-gorgeous-work-is-a)

Pidge has always been a confident trainer, and that’s something Lance admires about her.

The aura radiates off her like the sun as she takes her place at the other end of the battlefield. Because it isn’t just an outward show of confidence - it comes from within, genuine self-belief. 

He continues to learn from her, so that he can really believe that he’ll be an amazing gym leader. He’s missed being inspired by her in the time they’ve been apart. He doesn’t want to let it go.

“One-on-one battle?” she asks, hand on her hip. 

A battle between them is no big deal - they trained with each other often in their youth, battling anywhere from serious all out strategy to just goofing around and helping each other’s pokemon grow. 

Yet it’s been a year since they’ve seen each other and longer still since they’ve battled. His fingers twitch with anticipation to see what new pokemon she has and he licks his lips to see a new strategy; either will help in his quest to be the best gym leader he can be. 

Lance smirks. He has something new for her. 

“Fine by me,” he smirks. “I’ll even pick first for you.”

She raises a skeptical eyebrow in his direction. “Oh really? That’s pretty sporting of you.”

He reaches for the pokeball that contains his chosen partner, enlarging it with a tap of his finger. Pidge will never see this coming. “You’re in my Gym. Least I can do is give you the opportunity for type advantage.”

“It’s not as if this is an official gym battle,” Pidge snorts, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one leg. “We’re not even using the pool. It’s like you  _ want _ to pay for lunch,” she teases with a smug grin. “Maybe we can make a different bet. Loser does whatever the winner wants?”

Lance squints, looking for what hidden meaning Pidge might have behind this ‘new bet’. It could be anything from field work (not bad, he’ll get to hang out with his own pokemon) to organizing research notes (urgh). On the other hand, he could take her to the beach, or make her clean Wailord. 

Soon he’ll wipe that smirk right off her face. “Don’t be too hasty, Pidge,” he declares. “Come on out, Sandy!”

Lance keeps a close eye on Pidge’s astonished reaction as his sylveon materializes by midfield. Sandy strikes a proud pose, ready for battle. 

“A  _ sylveon _ ?” Pidge gapes, arms limp at her sides. “I thought you were going to evolve Sandy into a vaporeon?”

Sandy turns to face him, her smile so contagious he can’t help but squat down pet the intertwining pokemon. She rounds him, rubbing against his legs and similarly using one of her ribbons to pet him back. 

“That  _ was _ the plan,” Lance tells Pidge as he scratches her behind the ear. “But Sandy had other ideas I think. She’s perfect just the way she is - aren’t you, Sandy?”

“ _ Eon _ !” Sandy agrees cheerfully. 

He flashes a smug grin her way. “Still want to make that second bet?”

Pidge hums. “Oh, I see how it is,” she says a matter of factly. “As long as we’re doing surprises.” She swiftly selects her own pokeball and throws it out to the field… 

Revealing the cutest little bulbasaur Lance has ever seen. It stretches, and uses its vine to scratch its rump. 

“When did you get a bulbasaur? You don’t see those around here!” he exclaims.

“ _ Bulba _ !” The little flowering bulb runs and jumps into its trainer’s arms, betraying the strength of it’s stumpy legs. 

Pidge cuddles and pats it with ease. “I told you I studied in Kalos last year. Professor Sycamore gave me Bulbasaur to help with my own study of mega stones and mega evolution. Bulbasaur is still pretty young though, so I’m trying to get him some more battle experience.”

Lance lets out a short chuckle, grinning. Type advantage or not, Sandy has tons more battle experience. This’ll be a breeze. “And you said I was in a hurry to lose and pay for lunch. Seems like you’ll be cleaning Wailord for the next few days.”

She and Bulbasaur send twin icy glares his way; the pair perfectly in sync that makes his gym leader senses tingle. They may not have been together for as long as he and Sandy, but the strong bond is still there.

The corner of his mouth twitches, though he forces his grin of confidence to stay in place lest Pidge find an early opening. This won’t be as easy as he thinks - not if Pidge is still half the tactician he remembers. 

Pidge lets Bulbasaur back onto the battlefield and sets her hands on her hips. “If you’re so confident, I’ll let you make the first move.” She grins, a hungry glint in her eye as she places a hand daintily over her heart - mocking him. “Since you were so gentlemanly about allowing me type advantage.”

Lance grits his teeth. “You heard her, Sandy.” Arm outstretched, he points towards the battle. “Start with a Quick Attack!”

Sandy sets back on her haunches and springs forward, making a beedril-line towards Bulbasaur. 

“Trip her up, Bulbasaur!” Pidge shouts. “Then counter with Tackle!”

Bulbasaur stands his ground. Twin vines shoot out from the bulb, twisting and wiggling low to the field. 

Lance gasps. Being a water-type specialist he’s well used to challengers using grass-type opponents, so he knows how powerful a bulbasaur’s vines are. Sandy will get tripped up!

What a sneaky…

Well, two could play at that game. 

“Sandy, up and over! Light screen!”

Using her versatile ribbons, Sandy stops on a dime and catapults into the air just before she can be ensnared in Bulbasaur’s vines. With a cry, a shimmering barrier appears around her, boosting her defense against a special attack. Sandy lands on the opposite end of the battle field, skidding to a firm stop with a pleased smirk on her face that Lance mirrors. 

He leans on his right leg. “I remember you using that strategy against Whitney and Miltank! Sandy and I are a little more flexible than that!” 

It’s in jest, a bit of battle banter, but perhaps he’s on to something as Pidge’s cheeks turn pink. She’s adorable, he realizes. Not like the innocence of a child, but the way she can be the most brilliant and intelligent person in the room but quick to make a pun or be flustered over the silliest things he says. 

It isn’t just his battling she finds flexible. Lance smirks and curls his arm; muscles toned from a lifetime of swimming. Might as well flaunt it, even better if it messes with Pidge.

Then it really hits him like a truck, she’s oogling him. He drops his arm and blood rushes to his cheeks, embarrassed beyond belief. This is his best friend Pidge, not some girl he’s just met! 

“You… are you trying to distract me?” Pidge accuses, mouth gaping as if she’s still trying to process what’s just happened. “If you want to play dirty, I can do that too.” Her eyes harden - Lance knows that rigid pose and focused expression. She’s serious now. 

“Bulbasaur,” she says cool and calmly. “Use Poison Powder.”

Lance’s eyes threaten to bulge out of their sockets. “Sandy,  _ run for it! _ Avoid! Avoid!”

The thin, purple mist of Poison Powder shoots up into the air from the bulb on Bulbasaur’s back. It’s powerful, expanding over every inch of the battle field. 

Get Bulbasaur more experience, she said. Quiznak, to do what Bulbasaur is doing he has to be well-trained. 

This is Pidge, he supposes. He should expect nothing less, though his heart is full with a sense of admiration. Her confidence has always come with preparation and knowledge. 

Sandy backs away from Bulbasaur slowly with a furrowed brow and a frown, worried as Poison Powder falls to the ground, covering her. The effect is immediate, she winces for just a heartbeat before looking to him for further instruction.

Hands curl into fists. He’s going to have to end this battle quickly now. 

“It’ll be okay, Sandy! You’re doing great!” he encourages. “Let’s hit ‘em with Swift!” 

“Counter with Razor Leaf!” 

Brightly glowing stars collide with sharp leaves, leaving a cloud of dust in the middle of the field. 

Now’s his chance. “Swift again! Hurry!”

The stars cut through the dust like a knife through butter. In the middle, a sudden cry of pain - a critical hit. Now he knows where Bulbasaur is.

Pidge steps forward in worry. “Bulbasaur!” Pidge cries. “Use Vine Whip to clear the air!”

Not so fast. “Don’t let Bulbasaur recover - use Moon Blast!”

Sandy turns her head high, determination all over her face. A light blue glow surrounds her and Lance beams with pride; Sandy shook off the poison!

A fluorescent pink ball of energy grows above her agape mouth, bigger and bigger until it’s twice as big as a human. With a mighty cry, Sandy sends the fairy-type attack into the dust cloud - directly towards Bulbasaur. It won’t do as much damage as it looks against Bulbasaur’s partial poison-type make-up, but it’ll still be something. Lance will take whatever advantage he can. 

Dust pillows out from the center of the cloud and finally dissipates, showing Bulbasaur down and damaged, vines out from the attempt to clear the air earlier, but not quite out. The pokemon struggles to stand, wobbly on legs, but stable. 

“Looks like you’ll be paying for lunch today, Pidge,” Lance brags. “I’ll be happy to put this one in my win column.” 

Lance is frightfully proud of Sandy. To overcome type disadvantage with a few critical hits is more than he can ever ask for. When he and Pidge go out, he’ll definitely be picking up some of Sandy’s favorite poffins for a special treat. 

Though he’s been around pokemon his entire life, the bond between trainer and pokemon still amazes him. 

But he’s certainly nothing special when it comes to having a strong bond with his pokemon partner, not with the display Pidge and Bulbasaur is putting on, loss or not. 

“Are you okay, Bulbasaur?” Pidge asks, worry etched into the lines on her brow. “I know you’ve got it in you!”

Bulbasaur scrunches his eyes shut, but quickly opens them again with a determined glint. “ _ Bul-ba- _ saur _! _ ” 

Semantics, of course. Plenty of challengers that have come through these doors have faith in their partners. But like many of them, Bulbasaur is exhausted; it’ll only take a precisely aimed Quick Attack for this battle to be over. Lance is about to call for just that. 

Bulbasaur starts glowing, a blue aura surrounding his entire body. Any trainer worth their salt knows what that meant. 

“Oh, quiznak,” Lance says, shoulders slumping, as he watches Bulbasaur become Ivysaur. 

Ivysaur roars, rejuvenated. 

Pidge squeals in delight, jumping up and down like she’s just received exactly what she wanted for her birthday. 

“You’re the best, Ivysaur!” she calls out. Her sights set on him, a smug grin. “And back to full health thanks his evolution energy.”

Lance has a sinking feeling in his gut he’s about to be out ten dollars for lunch at the Pokemon Center. But as a gym leader, he can’t call it quits before it’s over. 

“Sandy, put up Light Screen!” he says hastily.

Arm outstretched, she calls, “Use Toxic!”

“Dodge it!” Lance yells. 

Sandy jumps, ribbons flying through the air in an attempt to repel the poison attack. But it does little, the purple sludge hits Sandy square in the chest. When the dust settles, she’s on her back and out of commission. 

That’s the match. 

Wager forgotten for the moment, his legs move on their own. He slides to his knees, cradling his fallen partner. 

“You okay, girl?” he asks, worry churning in his gut. Toxic was a worse poison than Poison Powder and with fairy-types being so weak against poison…

To his relief she opens her eyes tiredly, purring softly against his chest. She lifts a ribbon and pats his cheek, right where she used to affectionately lick him as an eevee. 

“Is she going to be okay?” Pidge asks. She stands next to Ivysaur, keeping a respectable but concerned distance.

Lance grins. “Oh yeah, she’ll be fine.” He guides his hand through her soft fur, rubbing in just the right spot on the neck. “Thank you for the great battle, sweetie. I’ll get you to the pokemon center before we go eat - I’ll even save you some malasada.”

Sandy’s tired, but happy eyes turn into figurative hearts at promise of an extra special treat. 

“That’s a good idea. I’ll take Ivysaur for a checkup while Sandy heals.” Pidge pats the large bulb on Ivysaur’s back, now bigger and leafier - more vibrant. 

Like Pidge. 

Pink colors her cheeks and she refuses to look him in the eye, instead concentrating very hard on her task of petting Ivysaur. No more is her smug attitude, in its place a soft smile treading the ground between embarrassment and contentment. She practically glows, beautiful and--

Warmth rushes from his chest to his cheeks as they stretch out with his growing smile. Pidge his rival. Pidge his companion. Pidge his friend. Pidge who was most definitely oogling him during the battle. Pidge who personally came to invite him to the most important moment of her life. 

He begins to see why she might be embarrassed, because he feels the same.

Arceus, he  _ hopes _ she feels the same. 

He gently taps the pokeball against Sandy’s forehead. “Get some rest, I’ll get you healed up in no time.”

Time to do a little experimentation of his own. 

Standing, he looks Pidge in the eye - or tries to at least, she still dodges his gaze. Lance is vividly aware of every drumbeat of his heart as he speaks before he can think, “So, you won. I pay for dinner and… do whatever you ask me to.”

Her typically wide eyes seem to grow even larger, as if caught red-handed in the cookie jar. A vine from Ivysaur winds its way gently around her arm. “ _ Saur, _ ” Ivysaur encourages, though she still furrows her brow with trepidation. 

Lance takes her other hand before she can say a word. “Anything, Pidge,” he says with the most heartfelt conviction he can muster. 

Worry melts off her face, but the pink glow remains. “Well, in ancient Pokemopolis, they had a tradition that the loser would kiss--”

Lance waits no more, cupping a hand against her warm cheeks, he brings their lips together in a tender kiss. But Pidge is numb, and hardly reacts - not what he had hoped for. A heartbeat later, he pulls away, butterfree fluttering about in his stomach. 

“-- the winner’s pokemon as a sign of admiration,” Pidge finishes blandly, her mouth gaping.

Oh, he’s screwed up now. 

So he laughs it off, tearing his gaze away. “Sorry, Pidge, I didn’t mean that. I thought--”

It is her turn to cut him off, as she grabs his tank top. Lance finds himself out of control of his body as he face dives towards hers. For the second time in a minute, their lips meet.

This time he feels the weight of intention, the relief of a first kiss, and the enjoyment as her arms wrap around his neck and hold tight his shirt. 

When they break once more, Lance can’t help but be the first to speak. “I’m not sure that was fair. I didn’t let you finish your request.”

Pink cheeks turn bright red as Pidge struggles for words to respond. “Y-you’re insufferable, Lance.” She gulps hard. “All I want is what I already asked of you,” she says softly. A gentle squeeze of his hand lets him know how much she wants him to listen - and listen he could for hours. “Come to Kanto and support me at the conference,” she smiles broadly. “The only thing I want is for all the most important people in my life to be there.”

Him. He is the most important person in her life outside her family. Though it sounds like a burden, it really isn’t, not now. Not after he’s been supporting her, and she him, since they were fresh young trainers out on their own for the first time. It fills him with such affection, and a need to hold and be near her, like the day they were snowed in on Mt. Fuji. Even then he’d never wanted anyone else save his pokemon with him. 

Lance isn’t surprised then, at how easy and how pleasant it is to lean down and kiss her forehead. “And pay for lunch, right?”

A blue light flashes in his peripheral vision and Sandy pops out, still tired but very happy. Sylveon are known for being in tune with their trainer’s emotions, and Sandy has never looked more radiant. 

Pidge snorts, but she smiles, eyes laughing. “I think you’ve already paid well in advance.”

She catches him in another kiss. He’s going to go hungry.

But he doesn’t care so long as the reason is that Pidge. He may be leaving town to support her, but her drive and affection is enough to fuel him for now. 

**Author's Note:**

> I image their region borders the Orre Region (from Pokemon Coliseum), which is generally believed to be in the equivalent of the American Southwest anyway (since their Galaxy Garrison base is where Arizona is currently). Alola is the Pokemon world's Hawai'i, so its the halfway point between Kanto/Sinnoh/Johto/Hoenn and where they are located.
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](https://rueitae.tumblr.com/)


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